Say Goodbye
by kmb007
Summary: A week after the Battle of Hogwarts, it's time to say goodbye.
**Second Annual Triwizard Tournament** : Theme: Ginny. Restriction: No sentences longer than 10 words.

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If it weren't for George, Ginny wouldn't be there. He needed everyone's support at this time. It was a week after the Battle of Hogwarts. That meant that it was time to say goodbye. Goodbye to his best friend. His partner in crime. His identical twin. Fred. Ginny knew that it'd be hard, but not this hard. He wasn't her twin, but he was her best friend. Both of the twins were. The three of them had caused so much destruction. They'd been in so much trouble, but they had fun. How would they be now? Her mum hadn't left the house in days. George wouldn't come out of his room or eat. Her dad had quit at the Ministry. He wanted to stay at home with his family. Percy blamed himself.

Ginny, on the other hand, stayed outside. She couldn't stay inside when everyone was crying. They'd lost more than Fred. Tonks and Remus were gone, Teddy would grow up orphaned. So many classmates had gone also. Ginny laughed bitterly, knowing they were more than gone. They were all dead. She had almost been among those numbers as well. Mrs. Weasley had stepped in, killing Bellatrix Lestrange. Ginny jumped at the sound of the door shutting. It was Harry. She had been avoiding him, but now they were alone. He walked up to her, folding his arms around her.

"Thought I'd find you out here," he said. Ginny nodded but didn't say anything. She never knew what to say anymore, to anyone. She used to be the strong one. Another sound told her they weren't alone anymore. She turned to see her mum, dad, and brothers. Well, most of them. She caught her father's eyes. He nodded towards the house, and ushered his wife away. Ginny headed up to the house, and up the stairs. She reached her destination and knocked softly. There was no answer, so she knocked louder. Still no answer, so she let herself in. George was laying face down on the bed.

"George, it's time to go," Ginny said hesitantly. George still didn't move or say anything. Ginny sighed and went to sit on his bed.

"I know that it's hard. But you really need to be there. Fred would be pissed if you missed his funeral." George looked up, his eyes red.

"Not funny, Gin." He glowered. Ginny glared right back. She stood, but didn't leave.

"You know he would. George, we can't mope around forever. Fred would want us to live. To celebrate his life, not mourn his death. I think you know what to do." Ginny smiled slyly, and then left his room. Ten minutes later, George finally emerged. He carried an old rucksack, but was dressed nicely. Together as a family, they made their way. The cemetery was on the other side of the hill. Every Weasley for centuries had been buried there. As they came over the hill, they all gasped. There were hundreds of people down below, not just family. George walked away for a moment, but then came back. Ginny noticed his rucksack was gone, but didn't say anything.

"Well, let's go say goodbye," George whispered. They made their way down the hill, into the crowd. Everyone parted, letting the family go to the front. Once there, they all took a seat, except for George. He walked up and stood behind the podium. He cleared his throat and started to speak.

"I didn't want to be here today. I wanted to pretend that Fred had just gone away. That he decided he wanted to be somewhere else. But that's not how Fred is...was. Fred would have never willingly left his family behind. He never would have abandoned us without a goodbye. Fred was loving, loyal, and hilarious. He was a fighter, a role model, a friend. Fred didn't choose this, but he'd willingly take anyone's place. Step in front of a curse aimed at a friend. A family member. Me. Fred was brave. He went out of this world laughing. Let's not let his memory die. Let's not let the laughter die with him. This is for Fred." With a wave of his wand, there was a bang. A ton of Weasley's Wizarding wheezes fireworks went off. Pinwheels shot everywhere. There was a huge dragon, and some smaller ones. Her mum gasped again, but didn't look mad. She was crying, but smiling at the same time. This is exactly what Fred would want, and everyone agreed. Ginny clutched Harry's hand, and he gave it a squeeze. Next week was Tonks' and Remus's funerals. She didn't think that it would be this uplifting though. Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"We all need a laugh now. The next ones are going to be somber. Mrs. Tonks will be in a terrible state. At least we will get to meet Teddy. Poor little guy. But at least he has a loving family and friends." Ginny nodded in agreement, but her eyes were on George. He was clutching a worn sweater, the letter 'F' visible. Ginny excused herself and headed to her brother. She stopped short, listening to what he was saying.

"Now mum doesn't have to sew the letters on. We always hated that, remember? And she hated when we swapped. Fred, I'm going to miss you like hell. Watch over us, especially Mum, okay? Ginny's strong, she's just like you. She's also an eavesdropper, like you." George turned suddenly, and Ginny jumped. He was smiling, and motioned her over.

"Thanks Gin, for setting me straight. You were totally right, Fred would have wanted this. The fireworks were his idea. I thought he deserved to go out with a bang." George grinned and draped an arm over his sister's shoulders. They were going to be okay.


End file.
